School is Out
by teamjacob0729
Summary: A collection of one shots around the theme of School is Out and summer vacation. bxj
1. Intro

I decided that I wanted to have one area for fun summer one shots focused on summer vacation or the end of school. They will take place at various points in time. Generally, I'm a bella x jake kinda girl, so that's the plan here. I set the rating as M because that leaves me safe. Though some may not be rated M.

Hope you enjoy and happy summer vacation! Unless you're in the southern hemisphere, then happy winter!


	2. School is Out

**School is Out**

 **Rated M for language**

 **Thought I'd give you all a summer gift as I celebrate summer vacation! Yeehaw!**

The final bell rang and the students rushed towards the doors of the school. Everyone had a smile on their face as they waved at the others and chatted with their friends about their afternoon plans. It was early dismissal and no one was happier than Jake. The res school was getting out an hour before Forks High and he had plans to surprise Bella.

Her old red truck had finally kicked the bucket. She'd texted him her disappointment on the way to school in Charlie's cruiser. She complained that it was just her luck that on the last day of her senior year she had to ride in a cop car. Jake had chuckled. He knew how much Charlie loved to tease her and flash his lights at the kids when they went too fast through the school zone. It only served to embarrass Bella further.

As Jake waved off his buddies, he ran home to get his car. Jogging up the driveway, Billy hollered out to him.

"What's the rush, Son?"

"I'm headed to Forks to pick up Bella. She texted me this morning her truck broke down. I'll get her from school and then see if I can fix the truck," Jake answered, as he slowed down. "If I'm lucky I won't be home for dinner."

"If I'm lucky, you won't eat it all and there will be leftovers," Billy smiled, as Jake lightly patted his shoulder, walking past him into the house.

Jake rushed around changing clothes, putting on deodorant, and spraying on a bit of body spray to freshen his scent. He didn't have time for a shower and didn't want to end up missing Bella. He grabbed his bag and went back out the front door.

"Bye, Dad!" Jake called out as he jumped off the porch into the yard, sprinting for the Rabbit.

Pulling out of the driveway, he didn't look back as he headed toward Forks High School. The music was jamming and Jake was singing along, feeling relieved for summer and time with Bella. She'd finally come out of her depression since the leech left her and Jake had accepted his status as wolf and protector.

Glancing at the clock, Jake realized that it was about 20 minutes until the bell rang for Bella. He drove around the parking lot and searched for a spot where she would see him right away. At last, he saw a spot that wasn't technically a parking space, but he wouldn't be there too long. Besides, if the police showed up, he was pretty sure he could talk himself out of a ticket, knowing the Chief of Police and all.

Jake decided he ought to let Charlie know he was there so he wouldn't come get Bella and find her gone. He dialed his father's best friend and listened as the phone rang.

"Hey, Jake, hang on one second," he greeted. Jake listened as Charlie talked with someone else. They were discussing a case that had come up and what Charlie wanted his deputies to do.

"Sorry about that, Jake. What's going on?"

"Hey, Charlie. I wanted to let you know that I was going to pick Bella up from school since her truck broke down. Didn't want you to drive over for nothing."

"Good, good. Was trying to figure out how I'd get there to pick her up on time. I'll send her a text and let her know."

"No! Don't do that," Jake interjected. "It's just, I wanted to surprise her was all."

Charlie laughed. "Okay, well tell her I probably won't make it for dinner. She can order some pizza for you guys. Just make sure to take a few slices home for your dad."

Jake smiled. Billy always had a way to get something delivered for dinner, even though he was perfectly capable of cooking.

"No problem, Charlie," said Jake. "I'll talk to you later." Charlie said a quick good-bye and hung up the phone.

Jake drummed on his steering wheel to the music until he heard the bell ring. Then he got out of the car and walked to the front, leaning against the hood looking for Bella. His eyes scanned all of the students. He knew she would most likely be coming from the gym, but he didn't want to miss her. The kids were as excited and animated as the kids at his school were. He could hear the myriad of plans for the afternoon from going home for naps, to hanging out at the diner, even some were headed to the beach.

As soon as Jake heard her laugh, he turned and zoned in on Bella. She was walking with her friend, Angela and they were talking. She wasn't looking his way yet, but he watched her face. It was amazing how relaxed she looked. He could overhear snippets of their conversation and they were talking about the upcoming graduation ceremony. Angela talked about needing more tickets than the four allotted to each graduate. Bella said she thought she'd have an extra but she would let her know later.

"I'll see you later, Bella. Is your dad picking you up?" Angela asked as they walked down the sidewalk that went toward the parking lot-it also happened to dead end at Jake's car. He still hadn't moved. He waited, watching Bella.

"Ugh, I guess. I haven't heard from him all day," Bella answered.

"I can give you a ride if you need one," she said.

"It's okay, her chauffer has arrived," Jake finally spoke up, smiling widely.

"Jake! What are you doing here?" Bella returned his smile, walking right up to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, discreetly smelling her.

"I came to save you from the Chief of Police's ride of humiliation of course!"

"See you guys later! Let me know about the ticket," Angela told her as she walked away to her car.

"Hey, honey," Jake quietly greeted Bella. She hadn't moved from his arms, except to bury her face in his chest. She took in his smell, noticing he'd added unnecessary cologne. She loved the way he smelled all of the time, even when he smelled like oil and sweat. It was a smell she'd come to associate with her best friend.

"You made my whole day," she told him. "Let's get out of here."

"Bella!" Mike Newton called out, jogging over to her and Jake. "Hey, dude," he greeted Jake slightly awkwardly. "Hey, my parents are throwing a graduation party if you want to come, it'll be right after the ceremony on Saturday." His eyes flickered to Jake briefly.

"Well, Jake and I kind of have plans," she told him.

"Oh yeah? What are you guys up to?" Mike asked. Bella rankled at his nosiness. He was endlessly persistent.

Jake, who knew that they had no plans whatsoever, spoke up on Bella's behalf. She was the worst liar in history. "We're having a bonfire down at the res. Celebrating all the graduates. Our graduation is the day before, and it's a pretty big deal."

Bella nodded her head at Mike, confirming what Jake had told him.

"Alright then. I'll see you at graduation then," Mike smiled and turned around to leave.

Jake and Bella got in the car. It was silent for a few minutes until they pulled out on the main road to head to Bella's house.

"Gosh you are quick. Thank you for saving me. I don't know what I have to do to get it through his thick skull that I'm not interested!" Bella groaned.

"Well, I wasn't entirely making it up. I just hadn't asked you yet," Jake admitted. "I figured you'd come so there was no need to be all formal about it."

"You're right. It sounds fun. I'd rather go to a bonfire with you than Newton's house any day."

With that said, Bella leaned forward and turned the stereo up. She and Jake sang along to their favorite songs on the short drive back to the house.

Once they parked, Jake started asking questions about the truck. He wanted to know if Bella had been having any issues with it and when was the last time she'd had it serviced. Bella told him it seemed fine and she always brought it to him when it was time for servicing.

Jake told Bella to grab the keys and he'd check it out. So she ran into the house and got them, tossing them to him on her way back out. He unlocked the driver door and when he opened it, he jumped back, growling.

"Jake? What's going on?" she asked, freaked out by his reaction. Jake slammed the door and ran up to the house. He grabbed Bella and carried her in the house. His nose was breathing in the house's smells. Quickly, he determined that her house was vampire-free. In the kitchen, he picked up the old phone and called Sam.

"Hey, it's Jake. I need back up at Bella's. Her truck reeks of bloodsucker and it wouldn't start this morning."

He hung up the phone and told her that Sam and Embry would be there soon. His body was vibrating and she carefully reached out to him. Her touch calmed him and he shook off the fear. Since the Cullens left, they'd destroyed the red-headed vampire and her cronies. That was the last of the vampires they'd seen. That was several months ago and it bothered Jake that there were vampires again.

His thoughts made him start quivering again, but it was the soft, calming words that stopped him.

"It's okay, Jake. I'm here. I'm here for you," she whispered to him.

She huffed as he grabbed her and hugged her tight. "Jake!" she mumbled into his chest. He loosened his grip.

"Sorry, my imagination was getting away from me," he told her.

Once Sam and Embry arrived, Jake and Sam went out to inspect Bella's truck. She and Embry sat on the little porch steps watching them. Jake leaned in over the engine, while Sam laid on the ground with his arms up in the engine. They talked and moved around. When Sam backed out, Jake went around and started the engine up. It sounded perfectly normal and Bella smiled, thrilled that they could fix her baby.

"You fixed it!" she cheered, clapping her hands.

Jake gave Sam a look and shut the engine off.

"Let's go back inside," Sam said, as the others followed him in. Bella went to the couch and sat in the middle with Embry and Jake on either side of her. Jake leaned against her and put his arm over her shoulder. Embry just leaned against the arm rest. He had overheard the conversation so he knew what the theory was already.

"Bella, the good news is your truck is working. In fact, technically nothing was broken," Sam started.

"What do you mean nothing was broken?" she asked.

"Bells, somebody disconnected a few parts so that it wouldn't run. The battery, a fan belt, and a couple other things. None of them were broken, just undone. They all smelled like vampire. We put it all back together," Jake explained to her.

"Do you know who it was or is this another crazed vampire out to get me?" she questioned, looking right at Jake. She didn't miss the fact that he shifted uncomfortably.

It was Sam that answered. "Well, we know who it was by smell. But the crazed part we're not sure about. Why would this vampire disassemble your truck? What would they have to accomplish?"

Bella sat thinking, her mind reliving the experience when Victoria had followed her and Jake into the woods one day. She knew the wolves destroyed her and the young blond guy she was with. So who could it be now?

"It was a Cullen, Bells. We're pretty sure it was Edward."

Bella froze. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the ticking of the grandfather clock.

"Why? Why would he take my truck apart? There's a phone and a doorbell. I don't get it."

The others looked around, not really sure of the vampire's actions.

"Maybe to get you alone?" Embry suggested. "There's usually a wolf nearby, except when you go to school. Maybe he was thinking if you got stuck at home, you'd be alone, unprotected."

"I don't know," she shrugged. Her mind was whirling. Edward was back? Edward. She started to put her arms around her middle, an old comfort she hadn't had to use for months since she'd had Jake in her life.

"Why don't you guys come back to the res?" Sam said, though Jake knew it wasn't a question as it was a demand.

"Yeah, Bells. Your dad said something came up at work and he wouldn't be home. He told me to tell you to order some pizza for dinner," Jake informed her.

"When did you talk to Charlie?" she asked.

"I called him so he knew I was getting you from school."

"Oh. Ok. Well, I'll pack a bag and then I'll be ready to go," she answered stiffly. She stood up and walked upstairs, her mind still going a million miles an hour. Mechanically, she moved about her room gathering what she would need for a night at the Black's. If there were vamps back in town, there was no way she was staying home alone without Charlie.

After she stacked the things she wanted on her bed, she went to the closet and opened the door. She screamed bloody murder and tried to jump back as he came out of the closet and put his freezing hand over her mouth.

"Isabella, calm yourself, it's only me," Edward whispered into her face. His loosened his hand, but kept it over her mouth.

She attempted to calm herself and took in ragged breaths. She stared at the man's face, the man whom she'd loved and adored, and the man whom she wanted to give up her humanity for. But he'd left her in the forest. Left her to die. His eyes had been downcast and he took his other hand, lightly caressing her arm. In the past, she'd have shivered in ecstasy at the touch. But not this time. She shivered in fear. Carefully, slowly, she tried to take a step back from him. He allowed her to, but when she did, his eyes followed her.

"Oh my god," she choked out. It wasn't loud. Even if his hand hadn't been covering her mouth, it still would have been nearly silent from her shock.

"The dogs are coming," he said, trying to grab her, as she fought against him. It wasn't difficult to overpower her, but he didn't want to break her arms or legs as he carried her out the window.

The door burst open, just as Edward folded Bella's body. She was screaming and cursing at him to stop. Jake grabbed hold of Edward just before he went out the window. Embry grabbed Bella before she hit the ground and ran out the door with her. She screamed for Jacob but Embry didn't stop. He knew that the safest place for Bella was their home on the res. Sam and Jake were good enough to keep Edward at bay.

As Embry raced through the woods, Jared caught up with him in wolf form. Jared slid to a stop in front of him and Embry pushed Bella on his back.

"Hold on!" he screamed at her, bursting into his wolf form. Jared shot off as soon as Bella squeezed him with her legs. She dug her fingers in his fur and leaned down on his back. Tears streamed down her face as she pictured Jake's broken form on her bedroom floor. Edward's red eyes haunted her mind's eye.

In wolf form, Embry was able to communicate to Jared, and Paul who was also on patrol what was going on. Jared said as soon as he hit the treaty line that Embry should head back to the Swan's to check on Sam and Jake. Paul had already turned that way and was running full speed. He howled as loud as he could for the rest of the pack and as they phased in, Embry replayed the events in his mind.

Seth said he'd meet Jared at the treaty line in under a minute, so Embry prepared to turn around. Leah, Brady and Collin had all phased in and were running from their homes toward Forks.

Embry left Jared and Bella, his focus solely on returning to his best friend and his alpha. He wasn't prepared for the sneak attack from the trees. He buckled as one dropped on his back.

"Hey, mutt," she greeted, as she tried to squeeze his neck. He threw her to the ground and saw it was the dark-haired fortune telling vamp. He jumped at her and had his teeth wrapped around her neck.

"Bella's going to be a beautiful vampire when my husband changes her," she laughed maniacally. Embry hesitated briefly and another vampire jumped on his back.

"Fuck!" he thought, as he tried to shake this one off, not letting go of the woman.

"I'm coming up fast, Em," Leah screamed through the pack mind. "Hold them off 30 seconds and I'll be there."

Embry tried to slam the vampire on his back into a tree, but it didn't work. It felt like he was slowly being crushed by a vice and it was frightening. In his fury, his jaws squeezed tighter around the neck of the vampire until her head popped off.

"Alice!" screamed the vampire on his back, who jumped off. The blond bloodsucker tried to grab Alice's head but Embry came at him. They circled each other, but the leech countered every one of Embry's moves.

The head was screaming on the ground for Jasper to save her. Jasper went at Embry for the kill. He wrapped his marble arms around his neck and Embry couldn't breathe.

Leah pushed harder, racing through the woods. She darted across the highway praying she wouldn't be seen, but knowing that if she didn't take this shortcut, Embry would die. She slammed into the vampire full force, knocking him off Embry's neck.

He stood up, growling viciously. Leah and Embry circled him and quickly tore him to pieces.

"No! Jasper! No! This was not supposed to happen! You were going to bring Bella to us!" Alice's head shrieked. Leah lit a small fire and tossed the screaming head in.

"Shut up!" Leah screamed. They worked together quickly to burn both vampires. After it burned up, Embry kicked some dirt over it and phased back.

Leah and Embry were shocked with the visions they were getting from their other pack members. Quickly, Embry felt through the pack mind to make sure everyone was okay. Paul heard his thoughts and assured him they were all fine and asked how they were. Leah answered they were good.

As they ran from the trees into the Swan's backyard, they were silent. It was one of those things you had to see for yourself. They'd seen in through the eyes of their pack, but it wasn't the same.

The white siding from the side of Bella's bedroom had been shredded. There was a gaping hole in the side of the house where Jake and Edward had flown out in the fight. Papers from Bella's desk flew down like confetti, decorating the yard with trash. Her curtains were still hanging inside, but blowing out of the house.

"Well, shit," Paul said, staring at the house, hands on his hips. Embry stayed phased as he had destroyed his clothes in the woods, but his thoughts were the same. How would they cover this up?

"Damn. We're going to have to call Billy," Sam said, also staring at the damage. He walked up to the house and started picking up some things that had fallen. Embry noticed the small fire that smoldered on the other side of the yard. The purple smoke a telltale sign of what was burning, as if the scent of decay wasn't enough.

"How's Bella?" Jake asked. Embry whined, she was ok. Jake nodded, understanding the sound.

Sam took out his phone and called Seth asking him to bring Bella and Billy back to the house. Jake wandered around, tossing debris onto one pile and things from Bella's room together by the deck. Leah and Paul helped him out.

It didn't take long to sort it all out. Jake stood frozen with a piece of paper in his hands. When Embry padded up to him to look at it, Jake jerked it away from his view. Quickly, he folded it up and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Don't worry about it, Em," Jake assured his friend, with a grin on his face.

As soon as Seth drove up in front of the house, Bella was out of the door screaming Jake's name. She ran as fast as she could when she saw him and consequently, tripped and fell several times. He stood smiling at her, waiting for her to make it to him. He opened his arms and scooped her up as she jumped on him.

"I was so worried about you! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Her arms ran over his body, feeling for injuries. "Did he hurt you? I was so worried that he would kill you or bite you. Jake! Jake!" She cried hysterically.

Jake carried her to the deck and sat down on the steps with her on his lap. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body, clinging on to him with all of her might. The other pack members quietly slinked away, talking with Billy about what had happened. Embry and Leah filled them in on the attack from Alice and Jasper in the woods.

Jake leaned his head back to try to see Bella's face. She only squeezed him tighter.

"I'm okay, honey. I'm okay. We're both okay," he spoke softly to her. He turned his head and kissed the parts of her head that he could reach. He repeated his words and kisses until she finally relaxed and leaned back. She looked up into his eyes. He stared back into hers but neither spoke. Jake leaned forward, infinitesimally and watched Bella's reaction. She didn't turn away nor look away. He continued toward her until his lips lightly touched hers. She leaned into the gentle kiss and kissed him back. Her body relaxed into his as she allowed him to deepen the kiss. Jake's arms wrapped around Bella's back and he breathed in deeply through his nose enjoying Bella's natural scent.

"What. The. Fuck?" Charlie screamed as he came around the house. Jake and Bella jerked apart as they turned to see Charlie staring at the house. He'd come home to change and see Bella, but found Billy with a bunch of kids in the front yard. Before Billy could really explain anything, Charlie went around the side of the house to survey the damage. He hadn't seemed to notice his daughter glued to Jake's face, or wrapped around his body in a way that wasn't at all for public viewing.

"Sorry, Charlie," Jake said sheepishly as he walked up behind him. To make matters worse, Bella's clothes that were on her bed had been tossed about the room and a hot pink lace bra hung down the wall, stuck to a splintered board. Jake noticed that Bella's face turned a shade of red that rivaled Charlie's furious coloring. Instead, Jake hopped up the tree and grabbed it, then folded it up and tossed it further into Bella's room.

"Did you…just…just…" Charlie stuttered, trying to put his words together. "Did you just touch my daughter's bra?"

Jake was prepared to explain how he was able to jump so high with minimal effort, but he was not prepared to explain that he had no problem touching the risqué bra. In fact, he was pretty surprised to learn that Bella owned something so out-of-the-ordinary.

"Umm," Jake started, his mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out.

"Dad! Give him a break. He saved my life today!" Bella admonished.

Bella dragged Charlie around to the front of the house to talk to Billy. Sam got everyone in the living room, as they didn't want to draw more attention to the house. Billy started with the retelling of the legends, and finished with the days' events. He slid his eyes to Bella when he told Charlie who the vampires were that were after her. Her head hung in shame as she never wanted her father to know about her past life.

"Well, what I really want to know is why my daughter was wrapped around Jake like a koala bear with his tongue down her throat?"

The room burst into laughter as Jake and Bella turned a dark shade of red.

Later that night, as Bella walked Jake to his car, Bella leaned against him. She felt something crinkle in his pocket, so she reached her hand in to pull out the folded paper.

"Did you read my diary?" she asked, sounding flustered.

"No. Of course not. But I'm pretty sure the leech pulled this page out. The edges are torn and it smells like him. I found it on the ground outside. I wanted to throw it away, but I couldn't," he explained.

Bella unfolded it and balked at the page he had. She understood why he'd kept it. Of course, this wasn't how she wanted him to find out, but it seemed he had. She looked up to his face, her eyes searching his.

"I love you, too, Bells," he told her, leaning down to give her a searing kiss.


	3. Graduation

Graduation

Rated M.

BD AU, most canon pairings, except Jake and Bella.

They sat together holding hands. Her small one in his. She glanced down and rubbed her thumb over his. She knew that this was hard for him. Inside she could feel his sadness. It was hard to believe that their little miracle was graduating from college. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the arena at the hundreds, probably thousands of other proud families.

If you'd told her 20 years ago that someone would see her watching their son graduate from college, she would have laughed out loud. Her life had been on quite a different track before he showed up and went all alpha wolf on her.

They'd discussed many times over the years how thankful they were that Sam had put an order on Jacob that made his wolf go crazy. After the sham of a wedding to _him_ , Sam had ordered Jake to leave _their_ house and to never speak of Bella again. That was enough to push him over the edge and take his rightful place as alpha.

He'd raced back to the house. Instead of making a spectacle of the situation, he'd walked around the front of the house and sat on _his_ car. On the outside, he looked like the patron saint of patience, but inside, that was a whole other story. He'd cursed the vampires with every name he could think of. He swore that he would not let Bella go easily. There was no way that he would allow the bloodsucker to take her away now.

Bella was pushed out the front door alone. She had no idea that the house had been surrounded by the werewolves now under new and solid leadership. Her eyes looked puzzled when she saw Jake sitting there, staring at her. She saw the wolves drag him away through the forest. Why was he back? How was he back? Tentatively she'd stepped toward him, words failing her.

It didn't take him long to walk up to her and give her a tongue lashing. He read her the riot act about abandoning her family and friends for the farce of a life _they_ could provide her. He'd asked her since when she cared about fancy cars that cost more than most houses, clothes that would feed a family of 5 for a week and ugly assed engagement rings.

Then he proceeded to tell her that enough was enough and she was coming home with him and the pack. She was stunned into silence. Her brain trying to work out this new authoritative Jacob.

Charlie suddenly appeared with his cruiser. Billy was already in the front seat and Charlie got out and opened the back door for them.

"Seth said to bring my car around?" Charlie said, with a tone of questioning in his voice.

Jacob turned to look at Bella's face. She was briefly frozen with indecision. Her eyes turned back to the house. The only one she saw was Rosalie, who stood with a serene expression on her face. She simply nodded her head toward the cruiser, indicating Bella should go. So Bella did. As she glanced back at the house, she saw that a beautiful smile lit Rosalie's face. She mouthed something to Bella before turning away to go in the house.

 _Be happy_ , she'd said.

Since that day, that's what Bella had tried to do. Some days seemed to take more effort to be happy than others, but she was happy with her life with Jacob. Her mind came back to graduation as their son took the stage to give his speech. Bella had helped him edit it and then practice it for weeks. She mouthed the words with him as he spoke about courage when things were tough, loyalty, and having faith in yourself.

She smiled when he reached what she thought was the end. Though, he'd written a surprise conclusion that Bella was unaware of.

"I'd like to take a moment to thank some people who are here with me today. Without them, I would not be standing before you. They are my parents. Mom, Dad, thank you for everything. You pushed me to keep going, even when things were hard. You encouraged me with love and taught me so much more than I've ever learned in school. Thank you. I love you both." His head leaned up and he looked right at them in the audience. Bella waved and smiled at him.

Several hours later, the ceremony had ended. Everyone clapped and cheered as the graduates flipped their caps into the air.

Bella and Jake wove through the crowds until they found their son.

"Will!" Bella called out to him. He turned with the smile that mirrored his father's. It lit up his face and hers. Running to his mom, he picked her up and spun her around, like he'd seen his father do so many times in his life.

"I did it!" Will cheered. He put Bella down and reached out for Jacob. Jake wrapped his arms around him and gave him a tight hug. He was proud of his son and his accomplishments. Perhaps, he'd lived vicariously through him a little. There was no way he could've left for college when he was managing a pack of wolves. But he'd made sure that his son had every opportunity that Jake had not.

"We're real proud of you," Jake told him, a little choked up.

"Aw, Dad. Thanks. Love you guys," he responded, swallowing back his own tears.

"Are you guys ready to get out of here? We have a long drive back to La Push," Bella reminded them.

"Let me say a few good-byes, then I'll be ready," Will told them, as he backed away into the crowd.

An hour later, they were on the road back to La Push from Seattle. Silence fell over the car as they all thought back over the day. Will thought about his upcoming job with the design firm in Seattle, Bella thought about how much she had to do at the house for the party and Jacob was thinking about how happy he was that his son had the freedom he never did.

When they pulled in the driveway of the house, Will sighed before getting out of the car.

"I wish Grandpa Billy and Grandpa Charlie could have been there," he whispered.

"Me too," Bella answered. They all missed the men. Bella tried not to remember the day that they lost them, but her memory flashed back. Her body stayed glued to the car seat, as she tried to steady her breathing. Jake tried to stop the anxiety attack that always followed the memory of their fathers' deaths.

"Breathe, Bells. In and out, in and out," he reminded her. "It's okay now."

Flashes of that day whipped through Bella's mind. Vampires. Pain. Fire. Burning. Running. Crying. Edward had come back for her when she was 8 months pregnant with Will. She was at home with Billy and Charlie and they tried to stop him from taking her. Sadly, the vampire hadn't cared when he pushed them both to the ground with enough force to kill them. Then he grabbed Bella and ran with her.

She panted in the car trying to catch her breath as the memories came forth.

As Edward ran through the forest with her swollen body over his shoulder, she cried out as the force broke her water and started contractions. It didn't take long for them to reach the old Cullen mansion and Edward ran into the house. He didn't waste time. He put Bella down and looked at her body. She groaned when the pain hit her belly.

"Edward, I'm in labor. Help me," she pleaded.

Instead, he leaned down and bit her arm. Right over her old scar, the one James had placed there year before. Bella screamed out in pain and from fear for the life of her son.

"No! Jacob! Help me!" she screamed out into the night.

It wasn't long before the wolves burst into the house. They were followed by Alice and Rosalie, who'd come to help once Alice had seen Edward's decision to come back for Bella. The wolves made fast work of Edward, as Rosalie leaned over Bella.

Without hesitating, she began sucking the venom out of Bella's arm. Bella screamed from the pain. The venom had set her skin on fire but her abdomen burned with its own pain.

"He's coming!" Bella screamed as she felt the strong sensation to push. Rosalie quickly pulled Bella's clothes away and barked orders to Alice for supplies they would need. Alice darted off in a flash and returned with everything Rosalie needed.

Two pushes later, Will came screaming into the world. Bella cried and laid back, so relieved that her son seemed to be okay. Jacob left the clean up to his pack and joined Bella. Rosalie handed over the baby wrapped in a bath towel. Jake pulled him close to his neck to warm him up, and spoke soothingly to the baby.

Bella opened her eyes to see the bedroom ceiling. Turning her head from side to side, she realized that the flashbacks had ended and she was safe in her bedroom. Jake walked in the room, watching her. He brought her a cup of warm tea and one of her anxiety pills. She took the tea but told him she didn't want the medicine.

"Bells, it will help calm you."

"It makes me sleep. I can't miss Will's party. I'm fine. Please don't make me take it," she implored.

"Honey, do I ever make you do anything?" he asked, sounding disheartened by her statement.

"No. Of course not. I'm sorry, I just meant that I want to make you happy. If taking that will make you happy, then I will. But I really want to stay awake for the party." Her eyes bored into his.

"How about we wait and see then?" he offered.

She nodded. He leaned across the bed and put her cup on the nightstand. Then he pulled her into his arms and laid back with her on his chest. They laid together, drawing strength from each other for a while.

"You guys decent?" Will called out from the doorway.

"We're dressed," Jacob answered.

Will walked in and made a loud groan when he saw how they were laying. Then he pretended to cover his eyes.

"Now that I'm blind, I wanted to let you know that people are starting to arrive."

"Oh, I've got so much food to get ready," Bella squawked as she sat up.

"Don't worry, we got it covered," Jake assured her as he stood up behind her. "Will and I got it all out."

"Okay, well I better go check on everything and say hi to our guests," she said as she rushed out of the bedroom. She walked past her dresser and caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. "I'll swing into the bathroom first, though."

The party was a hit with all of their family and friends. Jake had insisted that the pack's children know the truth of the legends when they became teenagers. He didn't want anyone to be blindsided by a phase, an imprint or a vampire. Though none of his pack had phased since Will's first birthday, he didn't think that surprises were a good thing.

Will had gone out with Embry's daughter, Sam and Emily's son, Seth's son, Leah's daughter and Kim and Jared's 3 daughters. They were all close friends and close in ages with Will being the oldest.

Bella was wiping down the island in the kitchen when Jake came up behind her.

"Hey, you," he whispered seductively in her ear, as he kissed her neck. She leaned her head to the side to give him more room. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"You calmed yourself down without any help today." He kissed down her neck toward her shoulder. His hands came up behind her and he inched the zipper down the back of her dress. Slowly, he pushed it to the side and kissed further down her shoulder, nibbling as he went.

Bella moaned and pushed her ass back into Jake. He groaned and pulled her body against him, thrusting into her. Quickly, he finished unzipping her dress, and kissing down her bare back.

"You're so beautiful," he told her. She leaned forward against the counter. Her dress dropped to the floor. "What are these?" Jake asked as his fingers traced over the panties Bella wore. Panties seemed like the wrong word for the scrap of fabric she was wearing. He fell down to his knees and explored her body. She enjoyed the attention and was surprised that she felt up to it after the long day.

"Turn around," he told her. She turned her body and leaned her elbows on the counter. Her knees were weak but Jake held her up. He pushed the panties aside and kissed her center. Annoyed, he grabbed them and ripped them off her body.

"Jake!" she complained.

He just leaned forward and continued on with his task. He hiked her leg up over his shoulder and continued to lap at her.

Just as Bella shivered from her orgasm and groaned out to Jake, the back door flew open.

"Mom, Dad! I forgot my bag!" Will turned to see his parents by the counter.

"AHHHHH!" He screamed, running from the room. "Oh my gosh! Can you guys please do that in a locked bedroom! Come on!" He went into his room and grabbed the bag, then ran out the front door, slamming it behind him.

"Mmm. I think we should take this in the bedroom," Jake suggested, raising his eyebrows and smiling. He ran about the house, turning off lights and locking the doors before he met Bella on the bed.

"Why don't you lay down and let me return the favor?" Bella muttered when he came in.


	4. Black Auto Repair Part 1

Jake adjusted himself behind the counter as a beautiful woman walked into his shop. His eyes glanced out onto the lot quickly to see an expensive car. Always the rich people that were a pain in his ass.

"Can I help you?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"Yes, something is wrong with my car. My husband is out of town and my dad said I should bring it here."

Her voice was like music to his ears. He tried to ignore his disdain for people like her and walked around the counter to check the car out. She followed him shyly out the door.

"Keys?"

She handed them to him. The blinding diamond on her left hand was hard to miss as it sparkled. He took the keys and sat in the driver seat. He started the car and choked at the grinding sound it made. Jumping out, he lifted the hood and pulled the dipstick out.

"Have you oiled it lately?" he asked.

"What?" she responded, her eyes widening.

"Have. You. Put. Oil. In. Your. Car?" he asked.

"I take it to the dealer to have it serviced every 3 months."

"Assholes."

"I need to pull it in the garage to see what kind of damage has been done to the engine. It could be really bad," he warned.

Going back into the shop, he pointed to a desk for her to sit. He sat down to get her information in the computer. When she told him her name, he almost swallowed his tongue. The reclusive Isabella Cullen was in his shop. His buddies would never believe him. Why'd he kick them out early?

He showed her to his office since it was nicer than the lobby and got to work on the car. She said she'd taken the car in regularly, but it was clear to him, somebody wasn't doing their job.

"It's going to take a while to fix your car. The problems are extensive. I'm sorry. Do you have a way home?"

"We live pretty far from here."

"I can give you a lift," Jake offered. He shifted as he felt his body on fire. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. The rumors in town about her being cheated on by her husband ran through his mind.

"I'm not sure about that. My husband probably wouldn't like it," she stammered.

"Would he want you to walk home alone or something?"

"No, I guess you're right."

"I'll just clean up and pull around."

She nodded and waited primly in the lobby. 

"Ready?" Jake asked opening the door and locking it behind them.

In the car, Jake shifted uncomfortably. The smell of the woman beside him was overwhelming. He cracked the window to get some fresh air.

Bella pointed to her driveway. Jake pulled in and stopped by the front door. His eyes lingered over the voluptuous body as it walked away.

"Thanks!" Bella waved as she went in the house.

Jake groaned as he drove away.


	5. Black Auto Repair Part 2

Black's Auto Repair Part 2

I forgot to add the prompt on Part 1—it was the Bruce Springsteen song _I'm on Fire._ I think I can finish this up with one more part.

She stared out the window beside the door. Her breath came in pants as she thought about the man that brought her home. He was hot! Seriously hot! Bella _never_ looked at another man. She didn't dare. Her husband didn't approve of such things. He went to great lengths to make sure she hardly went anywhere.

When she noticed something was wrong with her car while visiting with her dad, she wasn't sure what to do. Edward took the car regularly to be serviced. He showed her the outrageous bill so that she would write a check for it. People didn't know that she was actually the breadwinner in their marriage. She did all sorts of writing from home.

As the car drove away, she watched until the taillights turned the corner and were gone. Even then she didn't move, thinking about how much she wished that he would turn around and come back to ravage her.

She gasped as she heard an engine. But as she looked out the window, she realized her husband was home. Quickly, she ran upstairs to get ready for bed. She didn't want him to know she'd been gone all day. The fewer the questions the better.

It was 5 days later when Jacob called her about her car. He'd explained how her car had definitely not been serviced in a long time. For most cars, he'd tell the owners to get rid of the car because it was worth more as salvage. Since she had such an expensive car, it could be fixed but was pricey.

In the end, she told him she didn't have enough money (while she cursed her husband's expensive taste and her current writer's block). Jake had offered to help her sell the car and buy a quality used vehicle.

So the next weekend found Mrs. Cullen and Mr. Black at a used auto lot. She licked her lips when he got out of his car, wearing the world's sexiest jeans and a fitted shirt. Damn the man did things to her nether regions. She waved off the housekeeper as she drove away, unsure if she should leave her boss in such a shady looking place.

"Hey!" Jake greeted her with a stellar smile. "My buddies own the place, so I'm sure we can get you a great car and a great deal."

"Thanks, I really appreciate this," she told him, as her eyes traveled down his body. She'd tried to be discreet but the cocky smile set upon his face told her she'd failed.

As they walked the lot, Bella stumbled over loose rocks, but Jake reached out and steadied her.

"Careful there," he warned. Her arm sizzled in the place his fingers had touched her. She looked down staring, thinking there would surely be a mark there.

"Are you okay? Should we go?" Jake offered.


	6. Black Auto Repair Part 3

**Black's Auto Repair Part 3**

 **Prompt #22, continuation from Bruce Springsteen song**

 **Rated T+ (my own rating. It's not really M)**

"Are you okay?" Jake reached forward and gently touched her face. Her face had paled and she looked like she would faint.

Jacob picked her up to carry her into the office.

"What's wrong with her, Jake?" Quil asked, looking her over. The woman was a beauty and he could see why Jake was head over heels already.

"Go get me some cold water, would ya?"

Quil rushed off and came back with a bottle of water. He held it out to Jake who helped Bella take small sips of water. Quil left the room when he saw the goo-goo eyes they were giving each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked, again.

She nodded. "I guess I was nervous."

"Nervous? I'll help you get a great car. Don't worry about it. I'm sure we can find a good vehicle for you."

"I don't care about the car," she whispered. Her eyes were wide and fixated on the handsome face in front of her. "I think you are the sexiest man I've ever seen."

Jake's heart thumped in his chest. Slowly, he leaned forward, keeping his eyes on her hers. He was waiting for some kind of indication to stop. He didn't see one. So he kissed her. It was tentative at first, but quickly became more confident. She opened her mouth slightly making the kiss more intense.

Bella wrapped her arms around Jake's shoulders and eased them back onto the stiff couch in the car dealer's office. They stopped to take a breath. Bella giggled as she saw Jake's huge body trying to balance on the edge of the small couch. He smiled widely at her.

"What?" he asked. "Was that kiss funny?"

"No," she shook her head adamantly. "It was an amazing kiss. The best kiss I've ever had." Her face burned with embarrassment, but she continued on. "It's funny seeing someone as big as you on a couch this small."

"What do you mean by someone as big as me?" He grinned, pushing his crotch against her thigh.

She gasped at his bold move.

He stood up and grabbed her hands. He pulled her in to a back office and locked the door behind them. There Embry and Quil had a much larger couch. Jake sat down on the couch and Bella sat down next to him. They both took a deep breath.

"So…" Jake started.

"So…"Bella said.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"No, don't be," Bella stopped him. "I wanted you to do it. It was great. It's been a long time since I've been kissed like that. People think I don't know that my husband is a philandering cheat. I know. I just haven't figured out how to get rid of him before. I think I need to do this on my own though."

"I understand. Call me though, when you straighten things out?"

Bella stood and kissed Jake firmly before she walked to the door. Before she left she turned and said, "I'll call you soon."


	7. Dessert

**Rated T**

 **This takes place at the end of Bella's senior year. The Cullen's came and left but never came back. No cliff dive, etc.**

 **Genre: Humor**

 **Pairing: Um—Jake and Bella, of course!**

"I AM SICK OF THIS!" Jake screamed. He took the history book and chucked it through the air. Bella screamed as it sailed past her head. She ducked down and covered her head.

"Oh crap! Bells, I'm so sorry!" Jake jumped off the bed and picked Bella up off the floor. She was trembling. "It was just a book, you know," he laughed.

"Just a book?" she scoffed. "Just a book? Try a missile-like projectile coming at my head from your superhuman arm!"

Jake laughed heartily. "I'm sorry, Bells! I'm frustrated. I'm behind in my classes because of patrols. Now it's time for finals and all I can think about is summer vacation. But if I don't pass the test-I'll be in summer school instead."

"Summer school? But, Jake! We have plans. We're going to spend the summer in Florida with my mom!"

Jake leaned forward and placed a kiss on Bella's cheek. She blushed a pretty pink. She was used to kisses to her head and even her forehead, but the way he lingered after he placed his lips on her cheek-it made her heart race.

"How about you help me study? Then I can ace this test and we can plan our trip?" he smiled at her and she couldn't take her eyes off his mouth. It was her smile. The one he saved just for her. He patted her shoulder and she shook off her daze.

"Sure. What are we studying?" she asked, picking up the book. She groaned as she turned toward the kitchen. "Ancient European History? UGH! Jake, seriously? The most boring subject possible."

He reached forward and smacked her on the butt. "That's what you're here for, right?"

She whipped around and started to smack him. Instead, he grabbed her hand in midair.

"Not a good idea, honey. You'd just hurt your hand."

"Don't smack my butt then."

He turned around and stuck his butt out, looking back over his shoulder laughing. "You can smack my butt. Go ahead. I don't mind."

Bella laughed and walked away, not taking the bait. "We have work to do. Let's go."

Jake moaned and complained for the next 3 hours as Bella quizzed and tested him on the information he needed to know for the exam. There was no way she was going to Florida alone. Her mother was more than anyone should have to take for 6 weeks straight. She needed Jake there to dilute the craziness that was Renee. No matter what it took, she would make sure that he passed that test.

Finally, Jake convinced Bella that he couldn't think anymore without food in his stomach. So he got up and started making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.

"Do I see studying in here?" Billy asked as he came in the door.

"Yes, Jake, here is going to be an expert in history if I have any say in the matter," Bella told him.

"She's a serious slave driver. I'm afraid to get anything wrong," Jake joked. Bella turned and glared at him. He laughed.

"Maybe if you'd spent more time studying your schoolwork, Jake, you wouldn't be in this predicament," Billy chastised his son. "I'm pretty sure knowledge of Bella Swan is not a course at the high school."

Bella and Jake stood gaping like twin fish out of water as Billy rolled away laughing.

"Call me when dinner is ready!" he shouted from his bedroom.

Turning back to the stove, Jake went back to cooking without saying anything. Lucky for him, his dark complexion hid the blush that would have been there. Thanks to his dad's big mouth.

Bella smiled as she set the table. She felt bad for Jake because his dad embarrassed him, but she was quite aware of Jake's intentions. She was warming up to the idea of moving on with him. That's why this trip was so important to her. Maybe away from the prying eyes of the pack, they could try this dating thing out.

This helped her to focus her mind back on Jake's test. As he cooked, she questioned him. She taught him little memory tricks and rhymes to help remember things. By the end of the night, he was getting better. He walked her out to her truck. Bella sat on the seat with the door open. Jake leaned in the truck, with his arm hanging from the roof. He leaned in, always in Bella's personal space, pushing the boundaries she put up.

"Thanks for your help tonight," he whispered. His eyes roamed her face and his free hand reached out to brush the hair off the side of her face. She shivered from his touch. It was different somehow. He always touched her. Somehow, some way-hand holding, a hug, wrapping his arm around her. This time it felt different, sensual, and personal.

"I gotta go," she whispered back, her head down, afraid to make eye contact with him.

He leaned in and kissed her hair, breathing her scent in deeply before stepping back and shutting the rusty door.

As Bella drove away, Jake stood at the end of the driveway and watched until he could no longer see or hear the truck. Then he smiled and went in the house, confident that things were changing between them.

Billy was sitting in front of the television watching the 10 o'clock news. "Bella go home?" he asked innocently.

"You know she did, Dad. I'm going to get to bed. I've got an exam to pass in the morning," Jake said as he walked by his dad, patting him on the shoulder. "You need me to do anything before I go to bed?"

"Nope. I've got it. I can get my old ass to bed still," Billy chuckled. "Good luck tomorrow, Jake. Love you."

"Thanks, Dad. Love you too," Jake said as he walked off to the bathroom.

Bella was waiting impatiently during dinner the following night. She and Jake had really studied for that exam and she was waiting to hear from him how the test went. She was also prepared to help him study for anything else he needed to take in the next couple of days. Since she was already enrolled in community college for the fall, she didn't really care how her exams worked out. She was going to graduate regardless and move on. But Jake was another story.

"What's the problem, Bells?" Charlie asked from across the table as Bella relentlessly drummed her fingers on the table.

"Hmm? Nothing. Just waiting on Jake to call me about his test."

"Why are you so worried about it?" Charlie hid his grin behind his hand.

"I'm not worried about it, per se. It's just that I helped him study for it, and I want to know if our hard work paid off is all."

"Ahh. Okay," Charlie said as he continued to pick at the food on his plate. Billy had already called and told him that Jake came home from school happy as a clam about the test. Why Jake hadn't let Bella off the hook yet, he wasn't sure.

There was a knock at the door. Bella jumped.

"You stay, Bells. Eat. I'll get the door," Charlie said as he stood and went to the front door.

Jake stood at the door. In his hands, he held a paper grocery sack.

"Bells home?" he asked.

"Would you really be here if she weren't?" Charlie retorted. He stepped back and gestured for Jake to come in the house. "She's in the kitchen, pretending to eat her dinner until you call."

Jake strutted into the kitchen. "Hey, what's for dinner?"

"I didn't make you any dinner," she snapped. Charlie waltzed into the living room. Instead of sitting in his recliner, he sat on the couch. He wanted to have a good view of the show in the kitchen. If he stood in the doorway, Bella would act all calm and collected. Out of her sight, she'd be herself for Jake.

"You didn't make any food for me? Why not?" Jake asked, poking the proverbial bear.

"I didn't make you dinner because I didn't know you were coming. I didn't know you were coming because you didn't call!" she yelled at him. Her eyes darted to the living room and she lowered her voice a little. "Were you going to tell me about the test or not?"

"Well, if you don't have any dinner for me, I guess I'll have to eat this dessert I brought instead. Do you mind cutting it for me?" Jake batted his eyelashes at her.

She huffed but got up and got a knife and the dessert plates. When she turned around, Jake had removed the pie from the bag and put it on the table. Bella looked at it, read the words written on it with icing, and started squealing and jumping up and down. Charlie grinned and leaned back against the couch, turning off the infomercial that was playing and turning on the sports channel.

"You did it!" she cheered, leaping into Jake's arms. Luckily, he was able to catch her and his balance or they both would have gone down. "I knew you could!"

She looked up into Jake's face. He was clearly as excited as she was. She cleared her throat as she realized her arms were wrapped around Jake's neck and her legs around his waist. Reluctantly, Jake set her back on the ground.

"So, anyway, I was kind of hoping that you could help me again tonight?" Jake asked hesitantly.

"Of course! What test do you have tomorrow? Can't be worse than history!" she said, shaking her head. Her brain had already dumped the information she studied with Jake.

"Well…chemistry," he answered, backing away a little.

"Chemistry?" she asked. "Jake! Are you kidding me? That's worse than history!"

Jake quickly reached down and swiped some whipped cream from the top of the pie and rubbed it across Bella's nose. She froze in place. Her eyes crossed as she looked at the confection on her face. Without speaking, she turned away and grabbed a dish towel. Carefully, she removed all of the white sticky from her face. She sat down and put a slice of the pie on her plate and a slice on Jake's. Jake watched her for a minute as she ate and finally sat down beside her. He began eating the pie, finishing it off it 3 quick bites.

"Would you like some more?" Bella asked sweetly.

"Yea, sure," he said, holding up his plate.

Bella slid the spatula under a slice and lifted it. Before Jake could react, she'd dumped it in his lap. Then she began laughing hysterically. Jake stared at the chocolate mess in his lap. He scooped it on the plate in front of him, then grabbed the dish towel from the table and cleaned his jeans the best that he could. He took a little scoop and licked his fingers.

"Mmm. This is so good. I think you need a bite," Jake said as he swiped his finger across Bella's lips. Then just as quickly, he leaned in and licked it from her lips. "Yes, definitely still good."

"Jake," Bella whispered. She reached out and held him close to her face. "You missed some." Then she leaned in and kissed him again. Jake didn't move at first. Then he realized what was happening and reciprocated her kiss. He sat up and pulled Bella's chair between his legs. His hands brushed down her arms to her hands. He gently held them as they kissed.

When they stopped and sat back, they smiled at each other. Jake leaned in for one more fast peck.

"We do have napkins you know," Charlie barked as he walked to the refrigerator.

Bella gasped at her dad's sudden interruption. Then she giggled and Jake laughed as well.

"Thought you had studying to do," Charlie quipped as he walked out.


	8. Mrs Cullen's Graduation

**Rated T for language**

 **Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

 **Characters: Bella and Jacob**

 **Post Breaking Dawn AU, no honeymoon pregnancy**

 _ **Mrs. Cullen Graduates**_

Bella sat in her dark green graduation gown. Her eyes were on the speaker at the podium, engrossed in the speech the man was giving. She looked the same but different somehow. Her hair was longer and instead of having some wave to it, it was very straight. I watched her from the trees as she had no idea I was there. In fact, I wasn't invited. It was quite by chance that I found the invitation on Charlie's kitchen counter one day when I was there helping him with a leaky sink and the installation of a garbage disposal.

No one knew I was there, including Charlie, my dad, the pack or the Cullens. I turned and spit on the grass as I thought their names. I was surprised they were here on this sunny May afternoon to watch the graduation at all. But I turned away from them and watched Bella. I wondered why she was the only one graduating today. The others seemed to take pleasure in taking more classes. Ugh! I was glad to be done with high school and I had no plans of going to college. What was the point, really? Me, sitting there pretending to be human, getting a degree I probably couldn't use.

I looked around as they started to call the names of the graduates. They were standing one row at a time and Bella was 4 or 5 rows back. The names ran together and I kept my eyes on Bella. As she walked up to the stage, I noticed she started looking my direction. I hid back some because it felt like she was looking right at me. There was no way she could see me this far away, could she?

The announcer called her name: **Isabella Swan Cullen**. I watched as she walked across the stage, stopping to briefly chat and take a picture with someone I assumed was important by their decorated gown and missing cap.

The ceremony seemed to take forever to finish. I debated what my next step should be. Should I leave knowing that she was okay? Or should I find a way to talk to her?

Carefully, I made my way closer to the back of the field. I was sure that Alice and Edward knew I was there. The future disappearing as well as Edward's mind raping abilities assured my arrival. The cheers of everyone echoed through the area as hats were tossed in the air. Finally, the damn ceremony had ended. I kept my eyes glued to Bella. She found her way to her dad and gave him a huge hug. Then she went to Edward next. Her face full of happiness. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. I wished I could hear him.

Though, when Bella's eyes started searching around, I inferred what he told her. She knew I was here now. Was that look on panic on her face because I was there? Or was she afraid of a confrontation?

Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder and turned her away from me. The group was talking and then Carlisle and Esme led them to the parking lot. Bella kept trying to look back over her shoulder but every time, one of the Cullens would start talking to her.

They all got into the 3 vehicles, super nice cars, naturally. I decided to follow them. I mean, what the hell? They already knew I was here, right? Why not talk to Bella too? I hopped on my motorcycle and revved it up. I pulled up behind the convoy and followed them out of the lot. They drove down the highway for a while, no one seeming to notice me.

I laughed loudly when they pulled into the parking lot of a fancy restaurant. This was going to be perfect. I smiled. I got off my bike and waited on the bench near the entrance.

Bella looked uncomfortable as they walked up, but Charlie smiled widely as soon as he saw me.

"Jake? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were invited too," he hugged me tightly. I tried to hide my shock. Charlie was not a touchy feely kind of guy.

"Invited is a loose definition for some," Edward quipped. Charlie looked at Edward funny and looked back at Bella.

"Aren't you glad to see Jacob, Bella?" Charlie asked.

"Yea…yea, of course, I am, Dad," Bella smiled tightly. Her eyes glanced at me and then Charlie.

"Congratulations, Bells. You're a college graduate now," I told her, giving her a genuine smile.

"Why don't we head inside? We'll get a table and give you two a minute to talk," Carlisle suggested.

I laughed. _Why were they pretending to eat? Where would they hide the food?_ Edward glared at me as he walked by.

"Be right inside, Love," he told Bella, kissing her head.

"Why don't you order a nice big steak?" I sneered.

"Jake," Bella reprimanded.

Edward walked away as I shot daggers with my eyes toward his back. The fun part was I knew he was aware of my thoughts. Turd.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, I thought it would be obvious. I came to see you graduate from college. I thought you'd want your best friend here."

"My best friend? I thought I lost my best friend the day I got married."

"I can leave if you'd like me to," I said, nonchalantly, starting to walk back to the parking lot.

"No, Jake, I don't want you to leave. Do you want to join us for dinner?" she gestured to the door.

"I would love to join you for dinner, Bells. This will be great, I can't wait to see how they all fake eating a big meal!" I chuckled and walked toward the door. I grinned wider when I saw Edward standing there waiting for us. I walked in the door but was stopped by a short, arrogant man dressed in a suit.

"Sir, I'm sorry but we have a dress code here," he looked down at my clothes with disgust. Asshole. I turned and looked at Edward.

"You can fix this, right?" I jeered. I kept on walking, following the stench of the dead into the dining room. I could hear Edward apologizing and offering the man a cash tip to let it slide. The chair next to Charlie was open so I sat down in it and pulled the chair out next to me.

"Here, Bells, sit in this seat," I told her. She glanced between the last two open chairs and I could tell she was debating whether to sit beside me or allow Edward to sit there. I shook the chair a little for her. Finally she sat down.

I leaned down and stage whispered in her ear, "now it wasn't that hard was it?"

When I looked at the menu, I realized I was in for a treat. Surely, the Cullens with their impeccable manners wouldn't expect me to pay for my dinner, so I couldn't wait for a gourmet feast. I read over the menu and made up my mind. I was ordering one of everything.

"What are you going to order, Bells?" I asked her. "I think the seared bison and truffle mac and cheese sounds perfect for you." In my head, I cackled knowing how much Bella had previously despised such pretentious food. "Or, the caviar?"

"Edward, what do you recommend?"

Charlie was looking at the menu with a look of bewilderment. I knew for a fact he hated this place. He would be all for a diner with some good old comfort food. He was probably completely put off by the prices, knowing the cost of one dinner was the amount a normal person made in a day.

The vampires all shifted uncomfortably around the table. I wondered why Bella wanted them to put up this sham of a meal for her. She knew they couldn't eat. She should have insisted that she and Charlie be allowed to go out alone.

"This is a joke, Bella. Why are you letting this happen? You know they can't eat," I whispered in her ear, being careful that Charlie couldn't hear what I was saying.

"Jacob," she warned. "Stop it. Why are you doing this? This is a good day for me. Why did you come here to ruin it?"

Abruptly, I stood from the chair. Why was I here anyway?

"See you later, Bella. Charlie, see you back in Forks," I said as I stood to walk out. I stomped toward the parking lot. I was furious with myself for coming here. Why did I keep torturing myself? She married him, she left with him. She couldn't even bother to let me know she was still alive and going to college.

I hopped on the bike and started the engine. I shifted into gear and began pulling out of the space.

"Jacob! Jake! Wait!" she screamed, running out to me.

She jogged up to me and I took a deep breath, trying not to be an asshole.

"I'm sorry. That was an asshole move. I shouldn't have come at all."

"No…no. You should have come. I'm glad you were here. I was surprised is all. Thank you. Thank you for coming," she said. Then she looked at me. She looked at me like she had 4 years ago. I let the breath out in a rush. Her eyes warm and inviting.

I turned the ignition off and stood up from the bike. Her eyes gazed over it and then she looked at me again.

"Did you get a new motorcycle?"

"Yeah, I did. I upgraded to a bike that was built for a guy my size," I answered honestly. I stepped closer to her, looking down into those eyes I had dreamt of every night. The brown eyes I missed so much. I reached out and ran my fingers through her hair.

"Alice straightened it for me," she admitted, looking down a little. I knew this meant she was unsure about it.

"It looks pretty," I reassured her as I always did. "You look pretty. Beautiful," I whispered. Her hands wrapped around my forearms, stopping my hands.

"I've missed you," she told me quietly. "I've been thinking about you lately. Then you show up here today."

Edward was lingering in the lobby of the restaurant, watching. Waiting. I decided to go for it. I leaned forward and kissed her. To my surprise, she reciprocated right away. She didn't freeze up or fight me. My hands held her chin softly. My thumbs caressed her soft cheeks. I pecked her one last time. Her hands squeezed the sleeves of my shirt, holding onto me. Her face rested on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a firm hug.

"Bye, Bells." I let her go and stepped back. I got on the bike and drove away before I got down on my knees and begged her to come with me.


	9. Mrs Cullen's Graduation Part 2

**Mrs. Cullen's Graduation Part 2**

 **Rated MA**

 **Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

 *******This is a 2 parter. Be sure you've read Part 1 first******

My ass didn't want to find itself on the seat of my motorcycle for a long time. It was a long ride back from New Hampshire. So I found myself underneath the engine of a car I bought but hadn't fixed up yet. I figured now was a good time to get this old thing working again. The paint was peeling and faded, but overall the metal frame was in good shape so it was a good fixer upper. I couldn't help but be annoyed at the irony. I spent all that time fixing Bella up. She was bright and shiny, just like new.

Here I was broken down with no one to fix me. I berated myself for going and the pack sure as hell let me have it when they found out where I had gone. Of course, we didn't really phase much anymore, so it wasn't like I was missing patrols or anything. I took vacation from my job and went out of town like normal people did. I could pretend to be normal sometimes. I earned it.

It had taken me a week to get back to La Push. I stopped to see some sights along the way. It would have been better if I had a companion for my trip but I got over that in the first 2 hours of my drive. The last thing I needed was an extended pity party when I knew that she had chosen him a long time ago.

My mind finally focused on the work in front of me and I lost myself in fixing the car. The music was jamming and I was singing along quietly as I worked. I was so absorbed in the engine, I didn't hear the sound of high heels clicking up beside the car. Maybe I did hear them, but it didn't sink in at first. I was trying hard to bust a bolt loose but it was stuck. A regular human man wouldn't have been able to wiggle it loose, but finally I did. Unfortunately, my hand slipped and I slashed it open.

"Damn it!" I cursed as I slid out from under the car. I froze. I looked up and saw a nice pair of legs slipped into slim red heels. My eyes traveled up to the short tight skirt and finally past the blouse to her face.

"Holy crap, Jake! Are you okay?" She spun her head around trying to find something. I jumped up and grabbed a rag from the workbench. It would heal. The standard one minute healing rate had slowed, but I would still heal faster than most.

"It'll be fine. What are you doing here, all dressed up in a garage?" I asked, gazing down her hot body, not at all ashamed for checking her out. Damn, she was hot. Now she was here dressed like that-like a professional business woman. I turned away and adjusted myself when she couldn't see me. I pulled out the stool and plopped down on it, holding the rag tightly.

"Are you healed already?" she asked, pointing to my hand. I opened the towel and let her see the gash. It was still pretty nasty.

"Jacob! Should you go to the doctor or something?"

"Why? It'll be healed soon enough. Stop worrying about it. You haven't had to worry about me for the last 4 years. Why start now?" I bit out.

She turned away but didn't walk out. I enjoyed the view of her backside. I was surprised she was wearing such tall heels. Usually, she would have fallen on her face.

"You should be more concerned about breaking an ankle in those shoes," I told her.

"Whatever. It's not that I couldn't balance. I had problems with my ears. Carlisle figured it out, did some surgery," she pointed down her body. "Voila! I can walk without tripping every 5 steps. Maybe if my mom had taken me for regular check-ups as a kid, we would have known.

"Anyway, Jake," she sucked in a deep breath. I noticed her heartbeat sped up a little. She was nervous. Why?

"Jake!" she snapped, getting my attention. I looked at her face and stopped looking at her legs in those heels.

"Yes?"

"Jake, I'm back."

"Oh, great!" I stood, instantly pissed. "We finally get to slow down phasing and now the bloodsuckers are coming back and patrols can start back up again. Damn it!"

The anger took over me and I started slamming tools back into drawers and slapping them on their hooks. I seethed as I thought about them coming back. Wasn't it bad enough that I got half of my body crushed in the last fight we had with the vamps? They had to come back and ruin any sense of normalcy any of us were having in our lives. I took the scraps of metal from the garage and started throwing them as hard as I could into the small dumpster I kept for scrap. Each time it connected with the side, I imagined it smashing in Edward Cullen's smug face.

When there was nothing left to throw away, I flopped down onto the couch. I noticed Bella was still standing there, not having moved an inch since my tirade began.

"What?" I yelled. "Next you're going to tell me they're changing you! That you got that fancy ivy league education so they can take your life away and you can sit in high school for the rest of eternity!"

"Are you quite finished, Jacob?" she snapped.

"No! I don't think I am! What makes you think you can walk in here after 4 years and announce that you are moving back? Like it's nothing! As if it doesn't affect the lives of every pack member that has already phased and any pack member that might phase because they are here! And…and why in the hell couldn't you have called me or emailed me to let me know **you were still alive!"** I wiped the spit from my mouth and realized that I had moved closer to Bella as I yelled. Even with her heels on, she was still tiny next to my towering form.

"Is it my turn now?" she asked calmly.

I snorted. "Go ahead."

"I came alone," she responded, looking at me, judging my reaction. For once, I was speechless. I didn't have any response whatsoever.

Finally, "alone?" fell off my lips. She nodded. I reached down and grabbed her hand. I rubbed my thumb over her bare fingers. Her bare finger. Her ring finger.

"Why?" I breathed out, terrified of her answer.

"For you," she said before leaning up on her tiptoes. I leaned down and she kissed me gently, small pecks over and over. It didn't take long before she was forcing my mouth open with hers, pushing her tongue past my teeth. Her tongue brushed mine and I snapped out of my stupor and began kissing her passionately. My hands roamed her body as her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

My palms grazed the sides of her breasts and she moaned into my mouth.

 _Hell, yes!_

The garage was wide open at the moment, so I broke the kiss momentarily. "Hang on," I told her. Quickly, I rushed to close the big doors and lock the small door beside it. I made sure the curtains were covering the windows and then I pulled Bella to the couch.

"You got a new couch," she said, pointing to it.

"Well, springs in your ass aren't real comfortable," I answered.

She hesitated when I tried to pull her to me. "What is it, Bella? I can't do hot and cold with you anymore. You come here looking hotter than hell with those sexy heels on and kiss me, then you want to pull away because I got a new couch?"

"Jake, um…well, I don't know how to say this. I'm a virgin still," she let out in a rush.

"Oh, Bells. Is that what you're worried about? We don't have to do that. I wouldn't want your first time to be on the couch in my garage. Let's just continue what we started, okay?"

I patted my thighs and Bella sat down on my left leg, her legs between mine. I reached down and pulled the heels off her feet, letting my hands feel her calves on the way up. She looked at me and started kissing me again. I let myself get lost in the kiss. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of. Her arms stayed wrapped around my neck but my hands kept their exploration of her body going. I rubbed her knee and she parted her knees for me. Not wanting to push her too far, I rubbed further up her thigh, just under the edge of her skirt. Her kissing became wilder as I did so, and her breathing picked up speed too. With each kiss, I rubbed my hand further up. She groaned and adjusted her body so she could spread herself as far as the tight skirt would allow. It was enough for me. My fingertips grazed her damp center.

This time, I groaned into her mouth. She was wet for me. Already. I stood her up in front of me, facing the other way, and cupped both of her perfect ass cheeks. Then my hands trailed down to the bottom of the skirt and pushed it up over her hips. I was stunned to find the skimpiest pair of panties underneath that skirt. They were the same shade of red as her shoes. Then I pulled Bella back onto my lap, giving me perfect access to her. With my left hand, I pulled the panties to the side and with my other, I ghosted my fingers over her. She was weeping. I gathered some of the moisture and spread it across her silky slit. She squirmed, pushing her ass into my rock hard erection.

"Have you ever done this before, honey?" I whispered in her ear and placed a gentle kiss to her cheek. She shook her head no. "Did _he_ ever touch you here?" Again, she shook her head no. "Well, you relax and enjoy this then."

I massaged my fingers over her swollen clit. She writhed against me and it was the sweetest torture. Slowly, I pushed one finger into her tight hole, easing it in and then mimicking what I wished I was doing. When she started to get wetter, I added a second and third finger. She rode my fingers, letting go for once. I swear I nearly came in my shorts when she exploded on my fingers.

"That was…better than I expected," she giggled once she'd caught her breath.

"Just wait, that was nothing," I said, nibbling her ear between my teeth.

* * *

 **What'd you think?**


	10. Black and Gold

**Rated T**

 **AU, though no specific timeline is given for the change. It doesn't matter necessarily.**

 **BXJ**

 **Billy's POV**

The mirror reflected back someone I'd come to realize was me. In my mind, I looked different. Younger, less wrinkled. Somehow like someone who hadn't been dealt blow after blow. But there I was. Old, wrinkled and graying. I rolled out of the bathroom with a huff and went to the porch to wait for my ride.

Looking around the arena, I wondered how my son had gotten here after all that had happened and was relieved that he had. Our future chief would at the very least be a college graduate after all. He'd broken all the other rules, so why not follow one for once?

The commencement speeches rolled off one by one and I listened at first but then tuned them out. Where the future laid on our reservation wasn't up to businesses around the world seeking out new graduates, fresh faced and ready to work hard. Our future rested on the shoulders of our shifters, my son and his pack. This graduation ceremony was for their benefit. So that they'd aspire to go to college and come back to the reservation and improve it. That was the hope anyway.

Lost in my thoughts as I was, I almost missed the start of the young men and women walking across the stage. Large smiles on their faces as they grabbed the tassel and swung it the other side of the black caps. Jacob was difficult to miss as he was at least 5 inches taller than most of the guys and 10 inches taller than the girls. My son was massive in size but had the most amazing character and huge heart.

He quickly walked up the stairs to the stage and glanced out to the audience. I saw his eyes darting around. I waved at him to catch his attention and he nodded. But I noticed he continued to search. I wondered what his ears had caught that mine had not. My camera flashed as he walked across the stage, degree in hand, to the other side.

As the ceremony progressed, he sat stiffly. He'd turn back and check the back rows and then look up into the audience before turning around again. My curiosity was sparked, that was for sure. My cell phone vibrated and I glanced at the screen.

 **What's wrong with Jacob?**

It was Charlie. We couldn't get seats together since I had to have the accessible seating. I turned and found him, shrugging. I really didn't know what was going on, but I watched all around as well, while keeping my ears on the names so that I didn't miss Bella.

Eventually, I gave up, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Bella was walking up the path to the stairs. Students in front of her and behind. We all knew she was worried about tripping and falling on her face. She stumbled once and I saw Jake start to stand up. Fiercely, she shook her head, telling him without words she didn't want his help. Slowly, she went up the steps and then took her turn across the stage. I took a few pictures of her and watched as she froze at the end of the stage. She stared ahead of her but didn't move an inch.

Leaning forward, I tried to see what she was looking at. I couldn't see due to the shape of the seats. One of the university people came and helped Bella down the stairs, thinking she was afraid to go down. I knew she was but I also knew that the reason was something else. As the woman helped Bella walk down the center aisle, Jacob pushed his way out of his row to get to her. He whispered in her ear and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She reached out and took his degree and then with his other hand, he caressed her large stomach.

I wasn't sure what was going on now and texted Charlie to meet me in the lobby. I quickly left the area and went to the elevator. My heart was thrumming in my chest and I reminded myself to take deep breaths. This place was too public. Surely nothing would happen.

As soon as the doors opened, I was ready to push myself out. Around the corner, I was not prepared for what was in front of me. Jacob stood, his arm still around Bella, with Charlie on her other side in front of Edward Cullen.

"What are you doing here?" he bit out through clenched teeth.

"I apologize, Jacob. I only came to see Bella graduate after working so hard to earn her degree. It's quite obvious that you'd rather keep her at home barefoot and pregnant than go to school to advance herself," Cullen said with a polite tone, as though he were complimenting her clothing.

"Edward, please leave," Bella commanded quietly. Glancing around, I hoped that no one was going to come into this hall anytime soon.

"Bella, I only came to see that you're okay. I'm surprised to see that you're expecting another child with the pup, that's all."

"Pup?" Jake growled.

Edward looked at him and smiled.

"Oh, I see you guys are finally engaged. It's a good thing I have _really_ good vision, otherwise I might not have been able to see the diamond at all," he goaded.

"That's enough, Edward! Shut up! Do you hear me? Shut your mouth. Jake is better than you in many, many things. So just get out of here," she hissed.

"Edward, do I need to give Carlisle a call?" I asked lightly. I kept my thoughts focused on this one act, knowing that he was hesitating to see if I'd slip.

"No, Chief Black. I will leave now. Bella," he held his arms out like he was going to hug her. She jerked back and Jake sneered at him.

"Why don't you go where you're wanted?" Charlie finally spoke up. He gave Cullen the nastiest look he had. It was impressive.

Finally, the vampire ghosted out of the room. We didn't waste a moment getting to the car and heading back to La Push. Jacob made several phone calls and I watched out the window hoping that would be the end of Edward's visit. The calls blurred together as Jake recounted what happened and gave orders to his pack. As soon as we were in the cover of the forest, I relaxed knowing that the wolves would be guarding us soon.

"That little bastard!" Jake exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes. Up ahead, I could see Cullen standing in the middle of the road, crouched down. The car swerved off onto the shoulder and within seconds Jacob had phased into the wolf. I prayed to every god in the sky that no other humans came by with him so exposed.

"Jacob, get out of sight," I called out into the car. I gritted my teeth and shifted from side to side, groaning louder every second they stayed out in sight.

The two started circling around each other. Bella sat stock still in the front seat, and I quietly reminded her to breathe. At last, Jacob got the upper hand and ripped an arm off, tossing it into the woods. This only infuriated the vampire more and he started screaming obscenities at Jake and damning him for ruining Bella's life. Every bit of what he said was intended to make Jacob feel inferior for his life with Bella.

Knowing what I did about Edward, I closed my eyes and focused on the happiest moments of Jake and Bella's relationship I could. The moment they came home announcing they were together after "secretly" dating for six months, and the day they brought home the first ultrasound picture and then their faces as they held their son in the hospital. The way that Bella smiled at Jacob when he came in the house from work. In my head I wanted him to see the things that made her happy and human without him. Then just because I was furious he was still fighting my son, I recalled a night as I laid in bed. They didn't know I could hear them as they made enthusiastic love. The way that Bella called out to Jacob. I shivered at the memory, but I knew that it would infuriate the bloodsucker.

As Jake removed another arm, I knew that the distraction was helping. I dug up the best memory I had. It was when Jacob proposed to Bella on the beach with their son on his knee and his hand over her heart. Jacob professed his love and in a tear-jerking show of love, Bella professed hers right back.

"Jake, you are the most amazing partner and father. Every day I am thankful that I have you in my life. I couldn't imagine living life without you in it, or with anyone else. You take care of me, kiss me, hug me, and love me. You know my thoughts better than anyone. Many days I feel like you can read my mind. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life married to you."

After I pictured the kiss they shared, I opened my eyes and stared directly at the soulless monster on the road. _You should have stayed away. She is happy without you._

Suddenly, Edward fell to his knees and went limp. Without hesitation, Jacob ripped his body to pieces. The wolves turned back to human as they ran up the side of the road and grabbed the pieces of the body and the remainder of Jake's clothes, racing back to the woods. I knew things were taken care of when the plume of purple smoke trickled up through the trees.

Embry came running up and hopped in the driver's side.

"Jake wants me to drive you home. He shredded his clothes."

Bella nodded.

"What the hell was that?" Charlie choked out. I looked over at his ghostly-white face and started laughing.

"Well, buddy, remember those legends my father used to tell?" I started as I filled my best friend in on the hour and a half drive back home.

 **Give tonyamic10 a little love. She gave me a little nudge to write something. For me, I tried to write a new POV. I feel stuck in a rut. So hope you enjoyed.**


	11. Untitled Chapter

Currently Untitled

 **Rated T for language in this chapter. I know, I know! You've been wondering, TeamJacob, have you fallen off the face of the Earth? Have you been abducted by aliens? Are you going to finish any of your stories? The answer is no, no and eventually. If you've seen my profile lately, life has been hectic. I haven't had a creative bone in my body. The few bits of inspiration have been to design products I sell on teacherspayteachers. Between my job and my master's level course, there is barely reading let alone writing.**

 **This chapter takes place in an AU. The pack has phased, the Cullens are gone, and Bella had lived with Renee in Florida for her teenage years. She's just moved back to Forks to live with Charlie.**

"Mommy, I'm scared. What if they don't like me?" a little voice asked timidly.

"Oh, sweetheart. Don't worry. I really think your first day of school is going to be better than you think," Bella assured her son as he laid in bed, stretching out his body.

She laid down beside him and cuddled him against her. Her mind worried about his first day of school. His first day away from her all day. Which of them would be worse off? Finally, she mustered the strength to get them both moving and stood from the bed.

"Okay, Grandpa Charlie's going to be waiting for us downstairs. Time to move, Eli."

The little boy rolled out of bed and rubbed his eyes, stumbling toward the bathroom. Bella watched as he washed his face and brushed his teeth, then led him back to the bedroom. His school uniform was pressed and ready to wear. She helped him tuck in his shirt and tie his brown shoes.

"All set," he announced as he headed downstairs.

"Grandpa!" he chirped when he walked into the kitchen. Charlie sat, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Eli! Good morning. I can't believe you're old enough for kindergarten. How does the time fly so fast?" Charlie asked his grandson.

Eli shrugged and climbed up into a chair while he waited on his mom to make breakfast. Bella poured a bowl of cereal with milk and a glass of juice.

"My stomach doesn't feel so good," Eli said.

"That's just butterflies because you're excited for something new," Charlie explained. "Don't worry, those will go away when you get to school and see how great it is."

"You think?" he asked.

"I know," Charlie promised.

Eli nibbled on some of the cereal and sipped a bit of juice. It was all Bella could ask for, so she threw in an extra snack into his lunchbox.

"You can watch TV for 15 minutes, but then we've got to leave," Bella let him know. She continued to make her own breakfast, feeling the same butterflies as Eli. She hoped he had a good day and that no one asked about his dad. Poor kid.

Eli and Bella sat in silence while Charlie drove the squad car to Eli's school. They were two choices of schools where Charlie lived. He could go to Forks Elementary or the private school that Bella had chosen. It was smaller and more secure. It made Bella feel better about leaving her son for the day. She only wished they had another car to drive. Her car was being fixed and was going to take a couple more days to be repaired.

Eli held her hand tightly as they walked to the front doors of the school. Bella had to sign in before walking him to his classroom. It was another security feature she appreciated. As they went to the classroom, they passed other kids as anxious about the first day as him. But they also passed kids that were thrilled to be back and were chatting happily.

Mrs. O'Henry met them at the door and greeted Eli, then placed a name tag on his shirt. Her assistant, Miss Joanna, led Eli to a table covered with blocks after Bella gave him a quick kiss. She watched from the window as he stood playing with the blocks, a little blonde girl sidling up to him. Tears formed but she blinked them back and left the school.

"How'd he do?" Charlie asked when she returned to the car.

"Good, I think," she smiled softly.

Charlie looked over at his daughter and saw her watery eyes. "How about you?"

She sniffled a laugh. "Not as good."

"He'll be fine. Don't worry," Charlie told her. "Would you like to borrow Sue's daughter's car? She doesn't use it very much. Spends a lot of time with guys from the res and never seems to need a ride."

"I don't know," Bella hesitated.

"You should take it. It's only a couple of days and I hate the idea of you being without a car. If Eli got sick, you might not be able to get to school."

"Okay. You're right," Bella conceded, though a tad uncomfortable.

"I'll call Sue and have her arrange for Leah to bring it over this morning."

Bella hopped out at the end of the driveway and went into her childhood home. She barely remembered her early years growing up here but she was glad to be home with her father. Thinking back on her tumultuous teenage years, it was no wonder that she ended up pregnant and living with one parent and then the other. However, as a mother, she wanted more stability for her son. Now that she had full custody of him and his biological father was out of the picture, they could start over with her dad.

The best thing to pass time until Leah came with the car was to clean, so that is what Bella set out to do. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and music was playing when the doorbell rang.

Bella opened the door to find Leah and her eyes immediately found the man standing behind her. His eyes locked with hers and then traveled down her body, blatantly checking her out.

"Hi, Bella," Leah greeted her. "This is my friend, Jacob. He's going to drive me back home." Leah turned to look at Jacob, making a small gasping sound once her eyes landed on his face. She elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to snap out of the trance he seemed to be in.

"Hey," he greeted, still standing frozen.

Bella tore her eyes from his face and smiled at Leah. "Do you guys want to come in for a little bit?"

"No, we've got to get to work. So, don't worry about my car. I've got plenty of friends to get around. Just let me know when you can pick yours up from the shop." Leah handed Bella the keyring from her fingers and turned around to leave.

Bella and Jacob stood staring at each other.

"Jake!" Leah yelled. "Let's go!"

"Bye, Bella," Jake smiled widely as he walked backward toward the car, sprinting around to the driver's side when Leah yelled at him to pick up the pace.

"What was that?" Bella whispered to herself as she shut and locked the front door. Deciding that the house was as good as it was going to get, she ran up the stairs to shower.

As Bella drove into town, she decided to stop in the small hardware store to see what they had before going grocery shopping. She wandered up and down the aisles, looking for things she might want to get to spruce up Charlie's house. The place hadn't been updated since…ever.

As lost in her thoughts as she was, Bella was unaware of the large man standing behind her. She stepped back to look at some items on the top shelf and bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized as she turned to look at him.

"No problem, gorgeous," the man grinned at her. She couldn't help but smile back at him. He was pretty good looking as well.

"Can I help you find something?" He offered.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for," she admitted.

"Mmm," he started. "Interesting."

Bella laughed softly. She turned around and continued her perusal of home improvement products.

A while later, Bella had a bag of new cabinet knobs, a gallon of paint and some brushes together. She went toward the front of the store to check out. After she set her things on the counter, she could feel the presence behind her. Without turning her head all of the way, she noticed the man was standing behind her.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Will your husband approve of that paint color?"

She smirked. "Since I'm not married, I don't think he'd care at all."

"Then perhaps you need some help painting," he continued to flirt with her.

"Well, I'm actually pretty handy, but thanks for the offer," she smiled, batting her eyelashes, enjoying a bit of attention from the sexy man.

"I'm Paul," he said, extending his hand to her.

"Bella," she answered, placing her hand lightly in his. He rubbed his thumb over her fingers. She pulled back slightly.

"Next!" The clerk hollered out, gaining both of their attention.

Bella left the store, smiling widely, and headed to the grocery store. She grabbed a cart and her list. Since she was unfamiliar with the layout, it took her awhile to finish buying everything on her list. But, there would be enough food for at least 2 weeks in the house. Charlie had mentioned his few dinner specialties and Bella made sure to get the ingredients he needed.

She unloaded the cart onto the belt, trying to keep the cold things together.

"Did you follow me here?" she heard in that familiar voice.

Glancing up, she saw Paul in line behind her.

"Shouldn't I ask you, since I'm the one with all these groceries?" she asked as she looked at his small basket.

"Ha!" He laughed. "Good point. Just coincidence. But I'm wondering if it's fate that we keep bumping into each other."

"Maybe," she said, as she turned to speak with the grocery clerk that was ringing up her groceries. She waved good-bye as she followed out the kid with the cart to Leah's car. The kid was loading the trunk when Paul jogged up to her.

"You know Leah?" He questioned.

"Well, my dad does. She let me borrow her car while mine is getting repaired."

"That sucks but I'm glad you have a ride. If you ever need one, you could give me a call. I don't mind picking you up."

"I'll keep that in mind, Paul. Thanks," she shut the trunk and walked to the driver's side. She noticed he hadn't moved from his spot as she drove away.

It seemed as though the day went by in a flash and Bella was heading to the school to pick up Eli. The kindergarten students got out half an hour before the rest of the school.

As soon as Eli's teacher let him out the door, he ran to Bella and leaped into her arms. She carried him to the car as he chattered nonstop about his first day at school. Thankfully, the day was a great success.

Eli filled Charlie in on his day all during dinner. Everything from who played with which blocks to who needed to go the bathroom during lunchtime was listed to the amusement of Charlie and Bella.

The rest of the week flew by just as quickly with Eli spending his entire dinner time talking about his day. It seemed he was learning more about his peers than he was about anything school-related at that point, but Bella knew that would change. She was glad that Eli fit in and seemed to love his teachers.

On Saturday, Charlie had invited Bella and Eli to his friend's house in La Push. He didn't give her a lot of details, just told her that his friends got together often for dinners and card games. She tried to get Charlie to let them drive separately so she could leave if she felt bored, but he promised she would have a great time.

Charlie agreed that he could drive Leah's car, at the very least, and he pulled into the front yard of a little red house. There were a few cars there already and some people could be seen standing in the backyard. Bella was pleasantly surprised that there were some people her age in the crowd. Eli followed Charlie in the front door, talking to his Grandpa about anything and everything he could think of. Bella followed behind carrying a covered dish.

She was a little taken back by the crowd in the small living room, but Charlie introduced them to everyone. Smiling and waving, Bella's heart was hammering in her chest, impatient to be out of the spotlight. She beelined to the kitchen to set down the dish with a spread of other casseroles on the table. Glancing around, she was glad that she didn't bring potato or pasta salad since there seemed to be plenty of those.

"Looks good. Did you make that?" a voice asked from behind her.

She turned to see Paul leaning casually against the wall.

"Paul! Hi! I had no idea you would be here," Bella responded.

"I had no idea you were Charlie's daughter," he smirked.

"Mommy!" Eli called loudly as he walked up to Bella. "You have to come out back. They have a big swing. Will you come swing with me? Please!"

"Sure, sweetheart. Let's go," Bella told him.

Paul followed them out to the bench swing in the backyard. Eli sat in the middle of them, as Paul gently swung it with his long legs.

"Faster! Higher!" Eli chanted.

"Eli, this isn't that kind of swing. This is a gentle and slow swing," Bella tried to calm down her son.

"Aw, man," he pouted.

"There's a tire swing around the side," a new voice added. Bella looked up to see Jacob staring hard at Paul. She wondered why he looked so mad, but she grabbed Eli's hand and took him to the suggested swing by the side of the house. As she walked, she glanced back to see that Paul had stood and was toe to toe with Jacob.

 _What was that about?_ She wondered.

Eli took her attention away from the men, as she helped him climb on the tire and start swinging him. He begged her again to go higher and faster. She struggled against the weight of the large tire, but she was also afraid that the whole contraption would fall at any time.

"It's sturdy, don't worry," Jacob said as he walked up beside Bella. "Do you mind if I give him a push?"

Bella shook her head and watched as Jacob effortlessly pushed the tire away from him, much to Eli's delight.

"More! More!" The little boy called out over and over. She watched as Jacob seemed to be having as much fun pushing Eli as Eli was having on the swing itself.

Eli decided that he had enough of the swing just as it reached the highest point of the swing.

"No! Eli!" Bella shouted as she saw his leg start to swing over the huge tire.

Jake darted after him and grabbed hold of the rope with one hand and the young boy with the other. Bella darted after him to grab Eli from his arms. Jake didn't let go of him. He turned his body so that Bella could see he was okay, and bounced him lightly.

"You've got to be more careful, buddy, or you're going to give your mom a heart attack," Jacob smiled at the boy and tickled his stomach. "I think that's enough swinging for today. How about a game of catch instead? We have a big ball. Let's go get it."

Bella stood stock still as she watched a man she barely knew walk off with her son. It was hard but she didn't feel the terror she was expecting. Leah called her over to a line of lawn chairs. Bella sat beside her and watched as some of the other children and Jake tossed the big ball around.

"Isn't it amazing how $3 at Target can entertain any boy, large or small, for hours?" Leah finally spoke. "How was his first week at school?"

"Good. It was real good." Bella didn't take her eyes of the game for a second. The close call with the tire making her even more concerned about Eli getting hurt.

"He'll be fine. Jake won't take his eyes off him." Leah commented as she watched the other woman track the game. "Why don't we get a drink and some food?"

"I'm not hungry yet. I'll wait," Bella replied.

"Trust me, girl. If you don't eat before these pigs, there won't be any food left. Come on. I promise Eli will be completely safe. We will come right back out with the food."

Reluctantly, Bella followed Leah inside. Just at the door, she called out to Eli that she was going inside for food. He yelled back "ok" as he continued to laugh and play.

Bella looked at the mountain of food on the table and figured Leah was exaggerating only to get her to come in the house. She made quick work of assembling two plates for herself and her son. Carefully balancing the plates, a soda and a juice box in her arms, she made it back outside.

Eli came over to eat with Bella at Jake's insistence. He promised the boy he'd sit with him after he made his own dinner. They balanced the plates on their legs and ate in comfortable silence. Jacob sat on the other side of Eli, balancing two plates on his legs. Bella couldn't believe the amount of food he had. Her eyes discreetly looked over his fit body. She figured that he must work out regularly if he could look that good and eat that much food.

Bella glanced up at the door and she saw Paul come out, carrying two plates as well. She looked to her left and saw the empty chair, gesturing to him. He stared blankly at her and walked the other direction, sitting with his back to her. She stared at the group of large men, sitting in a circle, laughing and talking loudly. It didn't pass her by that they were all extraordinarily large and strikingly similar in looks.

"So, Bella, what are you doing later?" Jacob asked, his eyes glued to his food.

"Nothing really. Charlie drove us here, so I'm kind of at his mercy," Bella admitted.

"Oh man. Really?" Jake laughed. "Guess he got a DD out of you."

"DD?" she asked.

"Designated Driver. Did he tell you how these card nights usually end up with him passed out on our couch?" he chuckled.

"No. He didn't," Bella groaned.

Jake looked at her finally when he started talking again. "If you want, I could head back early with you. We could watch a movie at your place, Charlie could crash on the couch like he always does."

"I'll think about it," Bella answered, but Eli shouted, "Yeah!" at the same time.

"Is that a yes, then?" Jake smiled, giving his eyebrows a quirk.

"Sure," she grinned back.

"God damn it, Paul! You asshole!" someone screamed from the group on the other side of the yard. She looked over as Paul stormed off to the front of the house. One of the men from the group stood, brushing food from the front of his shirt.

"Hey! Language!" Jacob yelled across the yard at them. "Morons," he mumbled.

"Mommy says calling people morons isn't nice," Eli informed him innocently.

"Your mommy is right, Eli. Sorry about that," Jacob bit back the smile he was feeling after the correction. Paul was causing an issue and Jake had already warned him off in more than one way. It seemed he wasn't going to let Bella alone quietly.


	12. Untitled Part 2

**A/N: My writer's block is thick. Like a perfectly blended milkshake. Can't even think of a title for this one, but maybe it'll come to me.**

 _ **A continuation of the last chapter. Probably helpful to read that one first.**_

Jake drove behind Bella back to Charlie's. His eyes constantly scanned the road and trees. It was habit, even though they hadn't had any issues with vamps in years. After all of this time, he'd imprinted on Bella Swan. That made the alpha wolf in him rear up like he hadn't since first phasing. It rankled him that Paul had it bad for his imprint. The way he'd attempted to mark his territory at his house no less.

When he got out of the car in front of Charlie's house, Eli ran over to him and grabbed his hand, telling him to come into his house. Then he started listing all of his favorite movies that they could watch. The adults just grinned at each other, enjoying the young innocence.

Bella told Eli that they would watch one of his movies (a short one), and then he had to go to bed. So they enjoyed a half hour of little boy cartoons that Bella had already seen 30 or 40 times. Jake noticed that she kept glancing over at him to see if he was watching. He was a guy, of course, he liked cartoons. He hadn't heard of this one before but it was worth watching to spend time with Bella and her son.

While Bella got Eli ready for bed, Jake scrolled through the TV guide to see what movies were on TV. Naturally, Charlie had every cable channel possible and Jake mentally listed some possibilities he thought they'd enjoy together.

Eli came out and gave Jake a good night hug and asked him if he wanted to come in his room for story time. Jake glanced to Bella, who lightly nodded her head in approval and he agreed. Eli led the way upstairs and Jake realized that they were sharing what was obviously Bella's old bedroom. The preteen butterflies on the walls didn't seem like the décor a young woman would choose.

"We're doubled up for now," Bella shrugged. Under Eli's bed was a bin filled with books and Bella pulled it out so he could choose the story. Holding up a very thick book, he smiled extra wide to Bella.

"One story from that book, Eli," she told him firmly. His bottom lip puckered out and his chin fell onto his chest. Jake almost caved and promised to read a second story, but Bella gave him a look. He understood what she was saying, don't give in to the pouty face.

"One or none, big boy. What's is going to be?" She asked him.

"One, Mommy."

Bella and Jake sat on either side of Eli as Bella read a story from the compilation book. Jake loved listening to Bella's voices as she read enthusiastically to the little boy. Together, they tucked him in and Bella felt a little misty-eyed that Eli was getting tucked in by a mom and dad figure.

She caught herself in the middle of that thought. She'd learned the hard way that not all men that were nice to her son could be trusted. She was terrified of Eli getting attached to someone that didn't want to stick around.

Bella and Jake sat on the couch watching a romantic comedy. Both of their heads were churning with thoughts, neither really paying much attention to the movie. When they finally noticed the credits rolling, Jacob stood telling Bella that he needed to get home. He didn't want to leave his dad unattended too long or he'd drink too much.

Standing in the front doorway, she watched him leave. When she could no longer see his taillights, she closed the door. After she finished cleaning up the few things in the family room, she started to head upstairs. There was a knock at the front door. She debated answering it since it was a little late and she wasn't expecting anyone. Though, she thought it might have been Jake.

Peering through the peep hole, she saw Paul on the other side.

"Hey," she smiled when she opened the door. He gave her a wicked smile back. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to apologize for how I acted at the party. I'm sorry for being a douche. Jake said something that got to me."

"What'd he say?" she asked, wondering what the other man had said to rile him.

"Nothing you need to worry about, beautiful."

"Do you want to come in?" she offered.

"No, I can't stay."

She stepped out onto the porch. It was then that she noticed how tall and huge he was. It made her feel tiny next to him. He stood in front of her and grabbed the fingers of one hand. The burning heat of his skin surprised her, so she commented on it. He jerked his hand back.

"Did you and Jake have a nice movie night?" he asked, bordering on sarcasm.

"We just watched a movie. It was nice," she shrugged.

Paul stepped the last half step into her personal space. He placed his large hands on either side of her face. Without hesitating, he leaned down and kissed her. He tried to deepen the kiss but when he opened his eyes, he saw that she was staring at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Bella stepped back and wiped her mouth discreetly with her fingers. Clearing her throat, she took a minute to collect her thoughts.

"Um, Paul. I, uh, I am a single mother. It's not just me I need to think about, I have Eli to think about too."

"I know. He's an awesome kid. I'd like to get to know both of you better."

"I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship yet," she admitted. She was reeling from the kiss. It felt wrong, like kissing a cousin or something. It was strange because she'd done her fair share of kissing in high school and he was a great looking guy. Never before had she felt that way after kissing a guy.

"All right. Well, I better go," he spoke softly. He reached out and gently tapped her arm, before jumping down the steps.

Bella walked back into the house, shaking off the kiss and finished getting ready to head up to bed. She replayed it over and over in her head as she put her nightgown on and climbed into her childhood bed. She'd been so lost in thought while Jake was there and then the weird kiss with Paul. What was it that Jacob had said to him to make him act in such a way at the party? Why was kissing Paul so odd? What made her feel incredibly comfortable with Jacob and Eli?

The thoughts ran through her head like a broken record all night. Unfortunately, she felt it in the morning. She trudged down the stairs, mostly asleep, but looking forward to a cup of coffee. She startled when she realized she wasn't alone in the kitchen.

"Morning," Jake mused at her reaction. He hid his smile as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, the cool air giving evidence to her state of near undress.

"I didn't expect you here this morning," she said, as she went to the coffee maker. Thankfully, he'd already brewed it, so all she had to do was pour a mug. She stirred in some creamer and sugar, before turning around, firmly holding her arms over her breasts.

"Charlie had a _lot_ of fun last night. I didn't want you to worry about him when he wasn't here this morning. He'll probably be sleeping on the couch until noon," Jacob chuckled lightly as he remembered his father's best friend the night before. When Jake returned, the old men decided to sing some old country songs-badly.

"Oh, that's okay. I wouldn't have worried. He's a big boy," Bella lifted one shoulder. "I'm going to go check on Eli. I'll be back in a few. Will you still be here?"

"If you want me here, I'll stay," he answered.

"Please, stay. I can make you breakfast for coming to check on us."

With that, Bella rushed up the stairs and started searching for something to wear. When she went in the bathroom to brush her teeth, she glanced in the mirror and practically shrieked. Quickly, she scrubbed her face and ran the brush through her tangled hair. What a sight she was! How embarrassing that Jake had seen her looking that way! He looked like he'd just come back from working out.

After looking herself over to make sure she didn't look too made up, she went back into her room to check on Eli. He was still snoozing, so Bella decided to let him be.

When Bella came back in the kitchen, Jake's eyes followed her every step. The tight black jogging pants she was wearing hugged her legs and butt perfectly. She had on a tank top that covered everything, but fit in an alluring way. He and the wolf both loved it.

"Hellloooo? Anybody in there?" Bella waved her hand in front of Jacob's face.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What'd you ask?"

"I wanted to know if you'd rather have bacon or sausage with your eggs."

"Both. I'd like both with my eggs. How many eggs are you going to make? I usually eat a lot."

"Yea, what's up with that? I noticed you had two plates at dinner last night and so did a bunch of other guys. I really thought Leah was kidding when she said you guys were a bunch of pigs."

Jake bellowed out a laugh. "I work out a lot. I need the extra calories. Can I do anything to help?"

"No, I've got it under control. How many eggs will you eat then? Four or 5?"

"How about you make the whole dozen? I'll bring you some eggs later from the res. Emily and Sam have a bunch of chickens. They have more eggs than they can stand right now."

"Jake! You're still here!" A happy Eli trilled from the living room. He went over to Jacob and gave him a hug, and then walked over to give Bella a hug. Her hands were gross from the eggs, so she told him to go sit down while she got breakfast made.

Eli turned around and climbed up on Jacob's lap. He started talking to him about everything he could think of. Bella was surprised when she turned around with a plate of food to find Eli there, so comfortably, but she was happy too.

"All right, Eli, let Jake have space to eat his breakfast."

Eli hopped down and sat in the chair next to Jacob, drinking the cup of juice Bella had placed in front of him. They ate in a comfortable silence, each eating their fill. Bella watching suspiciously as Jake finished off every bite of the food she'd cooked. She couldn't decide if she was impressed or disgusted by how much food he ate.

"What do you guys have planned today?" Jake asked.

"Not much. Why? What's up?" Bella asked as she stood with the dirty plates in her hand.

"There's this beautiful place on the reservation I wanted to take you guys today."

"Sure. Sounds like fun," Bella smiled and rinsed the dishes off.

Later that afternoon, Bella and Jacob watched as Eli ran through the forest, pointing to everything. He was used to Florida's flora and fauna, so he was surprised to find everything so green. Bella kept her eyes on her son, trying not to be terrified that he would fall and get hurt. Of course, she tripped on a root and fell. Jake carefully picked her up and settled her on his bent knee, as he assessed her ankle.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as his fingers smoothed over her skin.

"It hurts a little, but I think I'll manage. We should probably head back toward your car though."

"Good idea," Jacob agreed. "Come on, Eli. We've got to get Mommy back to the car."

Suddenly, there were several eerie howls in the forest. Bella's eyes darted around, looking for the animals. Goosebumps rose on her skin, and she told Eli to come hold her hand.

"Can you go any faster?" Jake asked her as his eyes danced around the trees.

"Not really."

"Okay, hop on my back. I'll give you a ride back to the car."

Jacob squatted down so that Bella could climb on his back. Then he scooped up Eli and started walking briskly back to his car. He opened the car door and helped Bella in as quickly as he could. Running around, he got in the driver's side and started the car. The howl was closer now as Jake spun the car around and drove away.

"That was creepy," Eli stated.


End file.
